The holidays are fun. But all that eating can take a toll on our bodies, especially the delicacies crammed with saturated fats like cheese, cream and butter. When your gut feels taxed, the rest of your health suffers too. After all, it’s your gut that absorbs all the good nutrients from food into your body.
While we constantly wash our hands to keep bugs from getting into our systems, our guts consist of an entire ecosystem of bacteria – we’re talking trillions of them – that help with digestion and keep harmful microbes at bay. Apart from bolstering your immune system, gut bacteria also help synthesize essential vitamins like B12 and folic acid.
We’re still trying to understand how much gut bacteria influence our bodies. Preliminary research shows there’s a strong relationship between the diversity of our gut bacteria and mental health issues like depression.
While diversity is great, not all bacteria are good for you and when the bad guys take over, it can play havoc with your health. Additionally, bacteria that are good in one part of your gut can have adverse effects if they spill over into other parts. Other factors that can affect your gut health by causing a bacterial imbalance include antibiotics, conditions like IBS or diabetes. A high-fat diet (aka a holiday diet) can cause inflammation of body systems and affect your health.
SIBO, or Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, is another condition that occurs when bacterial populations are left unchecked. Bacteria that are normally present in the large intestine start to grow in the small intestine to cause symptoms like bloating, acid reflux, diarrhoea, or constipation.
All that holiday eating can create an imbalance in your gut which may adversely affect your health if left unchecked. Thankfully, resetting your gut isn’t difficult with the right diet and supplements. You may find advocates of the Mediterranean diet online with claims that it will help reset your gut. While this may be true for certain individuals, the jury is still out on its long-term benefits.
It’s important to remember that every individual is different, and therefore, the composition of their guts. A quick dietary change may certainly bring about short-term benefits, but knowing what works for you can make a huge difference in the long run.
SIBO is not a well-known condition. In fact, many people diagnosed with IBS actually have SIBO. Dr. Ibby’s Repair, Restore, Balance Gut Rebuilding Program is designed to help you understand your gut health better. The program first starts with diagnosing the condition of your gut health before taking further action to restore it to its optimum functionality.
Depending on the diagnoses of the test, you may be prescribed antimicrobials or pharmaceuticals to address excess bacteria in your gut. Conversely, if bacterial counts are low, probiotics may be recommended to bring them up to normal levels.
You may also be recommended digestive enzymes, gut repair nutrients and dietary changes to bring your gut levels back to normal.
As a SIBO-approved practitioner, Dr. Ibby looks at the health of your gut system holistically and recommends the dietary and lifestyle changes you need to keep your gut performing the way it should in the long run.
Sign up for a virtual wellness consult or book your in-person appointment in Ontario today.
